Songs Tell Our Stories
by stephyo
Summary: Track the lives of Nick Jonas and Vanessa Echavarria through their playlist. Call it a song fic, except every chapter is a new song
1. Let's Start Here

I suppose you could call me a sinking ship. In a way I suppose I am only much slower… three years slower.

My parents' constant arguing and my father's worsening depression ruined our Christmas in 2009. My mother left town for a funeral, just as the break up was in full swing. My father made threats; said he wanted to take me with him to Colombia and we would disappear, no one would find us.

Of course my brother didn't allow that. My father's suicidal rants when he was drunk ruined our Christmas but I could never tell him that. I meant too much to him and it would break his heart. Around this time I made friends with a boy. Not the boy but, you know, we're all naive in high school.

Tony was the aforementioned "a boy." I had known him since kindergarten; it wasn't until the 10th grade that he actually became my best friend. We were closer than close. We weren't nice to each other but I was okay with that because I was just one of the boys.

Sports ran my life. They were part of what kept me from sinking deeper into my own depression. Running was the best thing. It cleared my thoughts and for those twelve seconds all I had to think about was being fast.

It wasn't until after the divorce of my parents that I found myself truly alone. Unfortunately, Tony fell head over heels for Abby. Abby, to me, was nothing but a mean girl with killer confidence. She was a cheerleader, go figure. Tony, was a skater who listened to metal and was a starter on the basketball team (odd mix isn't it). It didn't take very long for them to fall in love, they got engaged... I had to find out through Facebook can you believe that?

After that I instantly knew I had lost my best friend. I felt abandoned but I tried not to think about it. Senior year and no one close enough for me to relate to... but I'm sure I'll get through it, right?

Well, my 18th birthday was just last week. March 11th, Pisces... I suppose that explains why I live with my head in the clouds, even if those clouds are gloomy. But even with grey fog clouding my vision, a girl's gotta dream.

Which is why I've scheduled a big surprise for my niece's birthday party... a visit from the Jonas Brothers. I thought about this for a while. I knew she loved them... after all I am the one who got her into them in the first place. So, hey, maybe it was a selfish gift, sue me.

I am a highschool student so I don't have a lot of money but what I do have is a college fund waiting to be used. I didn't take the SAT so I didn't qualify for a real university instead I was stuck at a community college. Seeing as how I wouldn't be paying as much as I originally expected, I figured I could use that money to pay for their appearance.

Reckless and frivolous spending? You bet. But, I'm 18 and I've never been reckless, call this my rite of passage.

Hey readers and potential friends. This is my story which I had originally posted on JBFA but the website has been down for months and I'm not done writing so I figured I'd transfer it over.

Please bear with me since I started this about 5 years ago and my writing left some things to be desired. I am going to be proofreading and adjusting some bits but I'm so far in that most of the story line is set. But please let me know your thoughts, and what you think I can do to improve this story.


	2. I've Got A Feeling

Song is by the Black Eyed Peas? I think that's how their name is spelled.

I woke up on Saturday. I rubbed my eyes and waited for my vision to adjust. I checked my phone; 8:15… I'm late.

Suddenly I hear my mom yelling across the house, "Nessa, are you ready?! Your cousin is waiting outside!"

I jumped out of bed and rushed around the room trying to get dressed in my work out gear. I threw on my spandex and a loose white Hanes t-shirt. I ran to the other side of the house through the living room and sprinting past the kitchen so that my mom wouldn't see me, and straight to my restroom. I brushed my teeth while I rushed back to my room in search of my shoes.

My mom caught me this time and noticed I wasn't ready. "Bruja (witch), hurry up!"

I found my track shoes in my gym bag and ran back to the bathroom to rinse out my mouth. By the time I rinsed and splashed water on my face I could hear the honking coming from outside. I grabbed my shoes and made a run for the car in my socks. When I got in I laced up my shoes and felt the seat for my iPod.

It wasn't there. Panic flashed across my face and I heard my cousin Berry laughing. I looked up at her and she had a wide toothed grin that revealed her braces…

"Why are you laughing?" I asked obviously in the dark about the laughing matter.

She raised her right hand out to my view, her thin fingers held my iPod. "You were looking for it." She didn't ask because she knew me, she merely stated the fact and extended the iPod out to me.

"You hid it?" I questioned.

She laughed again, "no, you loser, you left it here, it was under the seat cover."

I eyed the seat cover to find it had slipped from the seat… again; of course it would be there. Once I plugged in my headphones and let the music drown out my attention span, thoughts flew through my mind at the same speed in which we passed the houses by the highway. Finally, a particular song came on my iPod; the chords of the guitar were far too familiar… Rose Garden.

I moved my lips to form the words of the song but I didn't sing, I knew Berry would laugh.

Once the song came to a close, it hit me, I realized that today would be the day I met the Jonas Brothers. The instant my brain adapted to the thought the next song came to my iPod, " _ **I gotta feeling, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good good night…**_ " A smile permanently etched itself onto my face, I couldn't help it. I put the song on repeat and locked my iPod. I looked up with the same goofy grin only to find that Berry had been staring at me.

She flashed an odd smile before asking, "What's wrong with you?"

I kept my smile, unable to clear it and simply stated. "I'm excited to run."

So I lied, in reality I couldn't wait for tonight's events. I would meet my celebrity crush. He would finally know that I existed, heck I might even dance with him.

Once we arrived at Griffith Park, we made our climb up the hill and back down in record time… for us at least. The entire time the Black Eyed Peas blared through my earphones. Tonight would definitely be a good night.

I spent that afternoon getting ready. I clipped in my extensions; I had recently dyed them to match my new hair color, a dark maroon red, I spent the next two hours curling my hair to perfection with my pink curling wand. When I finished I pinned a side all the way back to the base of my neck and swung my hair over the opposing side.

Berry came over and did my makeup. She was like my sister and I was her little mannequin. She dolled me up and I scrunched up my face and made odd facial expressions. It was more makeup than I was accustomed to and I felt like it would crack and fall off, I just had to test it.

Luckily, it stayed; I did have to hand it to her though, I looked pretty.

Later, she raided my closet and picked out a Peach colored summer dress with white stitching designs, it reached just above my knees. She paired it with my ridiculously high, but oh so adorable, purple pumps. I looked in the mirror and decided I liked her sense of fashion.

I listened to Pandora for a while waiting in the living room for my mom and Berry to get ready. You would not believe which song came through my speakers. " _ **I've gotta feeling…**_ " I laughed to myself and sang along, causing my brother to make an appearance.

He opened his door, poked his shaved head out and said "you can't sing. Ness; just stop trying." He followed his comment with a chuckle and receded into his room closing his door behind him. I laughed but only sang louder simply to bug him.

When we arrived I greeted my amazingly loud and festive aunts and my crazy little nieces and nephews. I sat at a table with Berry and my cousin Jennifer discussing her wedding which happened to be just a few weeks away.

The sun was just beginning it's journey towards the horizon when a black Escalade pulled up in the front. We looked at the vehicle expectantly, as far as we were concerned, we didn't know anyone in the family who drove in an escalade.

Suddenly the doors opened and 4 guys stepped out. Three of them had fairly short hair, perhaps just long enough to notice the texture of it: curly. The last man was much larger, taller, bald, and significantly older. It was them. The Jonas Brothers.

Everything began moving slowly: their walk up the driveway, their introduction, even their performance. All I could do was stare in awe and absolute amazement.

They finished performing and stayed a while longer the sun was savoring its last minutes in the sky. The party really began then.

My cousin Berry, being indifferent about the boys and who they were, approached them and asked Joe to dance. I envied her watching her teach him the steps for salsa, cumbia and merengue. Joe was lost for the first 3 or 4 songs. I watched them dance and laugh, like the friends they never were.

I looked over at Nick and found him and Kevin looking directly at me, their lips moved to form words that never reached me. They looked away as soon as they noticed me watching them.

I decided I would be as brave as Berry and ask Nick to dance. I tried not to think about it as I managed to stand up I looked directly at him just as he looked back at me and I lost my nerve.

A single look was all it took as I pretended to flatten out my dress only to sit right back down. What was I thinking? Nick Jonas was just across the dance floor yet there was no way in the world he would ever dance with me.

I watched him and Kevin carefully and they looked to me and away from me constantly while conversing. Could they possibly be talking about me?

Finally, Nick stood up and I eyed him carefully without making myself too obvious. He crossed the dance floor and walked in my direction.

I looked behind me to see what it was that he could possibly want only to turn back around and find a body standing in front of me. Nick! He was standing right in front of me.

"Hi" he said with a somewhat friendly tone.

I looked at him unable to speak and nodded.

He scratched the back of his neck before he continued, "Um, would you like to dance with me?"


	3. Save the Last Dance

I looked behind me again to see who it was that he was talking to. No one was there. Could he really mean me? I turned back around, confusion bored into my face. "Me?"

He smiled. It was simple, the same tight lipped smile that he always wears.

"Um, yeah, did you not want to?"

I snapped out of befuddlement, "Oh no it's not that, I just don't usually dance…"

"Neither do I," he said holding the same smile "but I figured, 'why not?' and I noticed you sitting here so I wanted to come and ask you. You seemed a bit bored."

By now he had his hand held out to me. I couldn't really say no, could I? Without further thought I took his hand and he lead us to the dance floor. Just as we found our spot in the middle of the dance floor the track stopped and I heard my aunt yell.

"Un disco para los gringos!"

I laughed at this. Nick raised an eyebrow in question.

"A song for the white boys" I translated with a small laugh.

Nick let out a laugh as well.

Just then the song started. I knew this song by heart I always practiced it in my room. Nick recognized the song too and smiled at it. "Now this I know."

With that we began dancing to the rhythm my family encircled Joe, Berry, Nick and I while chanting "Gringos, gringos!"

I would have laughed but I was too absorbed in the music. He danced incredibly well for someone who didn't dance very often. Our steps were in sync so he began adding extra turns and dips. I laughed at this, still amazed that I hadn't tripped over my heels or stepped on him.

" _ **You can dance, go and carry on, 'til the night is gone and it's time to go….. Save the last dance for me**_."

The song didn't last very long, it ran its course and we were back to the Spanish music blasting through the speakers. I taught Nick the basics which he managed to pick up fairly quickly. He fit in quite well at the party.

Eventually, my insanely high heels, which almost made me look average height, tired me out and Nick accompanied me to sit down.

"I thought you didn't dance?" I asked him, astonished by his talent.

"I could say the same to you," he responded with a smirk.

I raised an eyebrow and he laughed. "I don't normally dance at parties but I learn a few tricks here and there for different performances and such. So what's your excuse?"

I flushed red but I guess I should have expected him to ask. "I dance in my room..." I said so low that it was barely audible through the sound of the music and the festivities.

"With who?"

I didn't dare look up; I was drowning in embarrassment as it was. "Myself…" I replied in the same decibel as before.

He laughed, "well it's a good thing too, don't you think."

I looked up and saw an encouraging smile playing on his features. I couldn't help but return the smile.

It was nearing nine when Kevin approached us. "Nick, I think it's about time we head on out, Joe left his location settings on, it's been up on twitter for about an hour, if our fans show up, it just might ruin the party." Kevin noted with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice. He spent the day talking to my uncle about sports and such.

Nick agreed and looked over at me. "I'm really sorry to leave so soon, but the fans should be here in a matter of minutes so we should head out before it gets out of control." He stated it in the same tone as Kevin.

By now, Joe had joined the group as Berry continued to dance without him.

"Okay, well I'll walk you guys out," I offered sounding far more upset than I had intended. The guys accepted.

We made our way back up the driveway and I ran into my mom, "Nessa, can you put my heels in the trunk for me, I don't want to forget them."

A pair of strappy sandals adorned her feet as she reached the high heels out to me.

"Well, I guess parties are a very serious affair around here, huh?" Joe nodded as he answered his own question.

I took her shoes for her and continued down the driveway. The boys were parked right in front of me so I said goodbye while I popped the trunk and dropped my mother's shoes inside.

At that moment, I heard Joe calling me over to their vehicle. I was a bit confused about what was going on. Did he want to know about Berry? I approached him with a smile.

"Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for inviting us. Please feel free to-"

Joe looked ahead of him and found a group of about eight girls approaching quickly.

"That's them! Look, Becca, it's them!"

I heard the sound coming from one of the girls but I couldn't quite make out who it was.

"Um, can you please get in the car?" Joe asked suddenly.

"Why?" I asked a bit confused by the sudden turn of events.

"Just- please? I'll explain it later," he pleaded.

"Who are they talking to?! Who is that girl? Courtney I bet she's friends with them" I heard another girl speak.

I figured there would be no harm in doing so. "Um, yeah… okay?"

I opened the door and hopped in the back. I had to climb over Joe and I sat in the middle next to Nick. Joe closed the door the instant I was in and their security guard took off.

"Where are we going?" I asked, feeling disoriented by my current predicament.

Joe must have sensed my current state of discomfort because when he spoke again he was more relaxed. "Sorry about that but we had to leave before our fans arrived."

My discomfort minimized but my confusion was heightened. "But why did I have to come with you guys?"

"Well our fans are a bit intense and since they saw us communicating, we knew they wouldn't leave you alone. So we figured it was best to bring you along… sorry we ruined your evening."

I analyzed Joe's logic and it seemed so dramatic. But maybe that's just because I've never had to live their life. We sat in silence for while, Nick looking out his window, Kevin on his phone and Joe tapping a nameless rhythm on his lap. I looked down and played with the patterns on my dress.

I could feel the tension. These guys were no longer on the clock to be who I had payed them to be. This was supposed to be their settling time and still they entire space seemed uneasy.

I didn't know what to say to fix the situation. Instead, I resorted to rethinking the decisions that led me here. I thought back to the morning trying to recap the day. It seemed so far away now. I wasn't in the comfort zone of my family anymore.

Joe cleared his throat before he spoke again, "So... Nessa, That's short for Vanessa right?"

I nodded feeling too insecure to speak… I guess rock stars can do that... them and just about everyone else.

"So, are you a cheerleader or on the dance team or… any school activities like that?" Joe asked; trying to get me to talk.

I decided to give in. "Um, well I was in basketball, softball, volleyball, and track and field… um, that's it though." I stated while attempting to hide my nerves; it didn't work very well.

"Hey, so you're kinda like a tomboy aren't you?" Kevin said with a chuckle.

It eased the tension and I began to feel like I was starting to fit in. "yeah, I guess I'm just one of the boys, except for the part where I'm kind of not?" I babbled as I tried to mentally evaluate myself. "I mean I wear dresses and I like pink and I don't really use bad words but I do like to do dumb guy stuff like handstand contests or… talking too much." I blushed as I realized I had contributed way more information than I had intended.

"So, you're quite different aren't you?" Nick asked, finally as he spoke up for the first time since the party. I smiled and began to feel a little more comfortable with the group.

"So why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself?" Kevin asked.

I took a deep breath before allowing myself to babble again. "Well, my middle name is Marie, I don't get along with girls very well… except for family. I feel like girls just like to be mean. Uh, my parents are divorced and I don't keep in touch with my dad very often. I just turned 18 and… um, I sometimes like girly stuff?"

"Girly stuff? Like unicorns and rainbows?" Joe teased.

I blushed in embarrassment before countering him, "um, no just like hair stuff and nail polish and such?"

It wasn't much longer before we reached a house.

"Well, this is my stop," Kevin said with a smile, "it was nice meeting you Vanessa, I'd invite you in but our house is a mess and Dani doesn't appreciate having guests over on a short notice-"

"Don't even think about it Kev, she's rolling with us," Joe said attempting to fake an attitude.

I laughed at his foolishness. "Well, as I was saying, thank you for inviting us to the party today. If any new parties come up, please let me know" Kevin said with a laugh.

"I'll be sure to do so, Kevin." I giggled.

He smiled and made his way to his door and waved goodbye before walking in.

"Finally, he's gone I thought he'd never leave," Joe said in an annoyed tone while climbing to the front seat.

I laughed when his foot got caught between the seat and center console and his face collided with the front seat passenger seat.

"Ow!"

I muffled a laugh at the scene playing in front of me. He literally buried his face where Kevin's butt used to be. I looked over at Nick to see him smiling… a real smile. I was mesmerized by it and I stared at him until Joe snapped me out of it.

"You don't mind staying in our home do you? Or would you prefer we book you a hotel?"

"Um, whichever is easiest, I suppose." Really I held an internal battle trying to decide between asking for a ride home or going to their home and having a story to tell my future children.

"Home it is!" Joe cheered.

Shut up! Is this really happening? My palms started sweating and I did my best to try to remain calm but all of the alarms in my brain were blaring. I imagined a million different scenarios of how this might go. What if Mrs. Jonas kicked me out? What if i broke something?

 _Stay calm, woman! You can do this!_ I coached myself internally to make sure I stayed calm.

"We're here!" Joe yelled, bringing me back to reality.

I hadn't even noticed we had left Kevin's driveway but we were already on the driveway of a different house. It was beautiful: The Jonas Residence.


End file.
